Columns

Wed
11
Jan

Keeping Louisiana Competitive

By Stephen Waguespack

 

Louisiana’s erratic tax system places us at a perennial disadvantage when in competition to attract business investment and development. For decades now, the Legislature has haphazardly patched our state’s tax structure with “fixes” in efforts to balance it against the better systems of our competitors, but these “fixes” have come at a cost. Now, thanks to a continually expanding global marketplace, technological advancements and a vastly unstable tax system, manufacturers in Louisiana are reevaluating their investment.

 

Wed
04
Jan

Did you know?

By Raymond Powell

 

Wed
04
Jan

Closing Time for 2016

By Stephen Waguespack

 

Well, another year has come and gone. It hasn’t necessarily been the most enjoyable year for many, but it very well may go down as one of the most memorable. 2016 began with Louisiana welcoming a new Governor for the first time in eight years after a hard-fought and ugly campaign filled with excessive name calling and character assassination. The year ended with America electing a new President after a similarly unpleasant election season following eight consecutive years of the same leader. A majority of Louisianans supported the victor in each instance, though Governor Edwards and Presidentelect Trump are from staunchly different ends of the political spectrum

 

Wed
28
Dec

Did you know?

By Raymond Powell
 
Most people, I assume, are somewhat like this writer–they realize people have not changed a great deal over the years. They become unhappy or disappointed when things don’t go just as they would like. Case in point is the recent presidential election. Clinton gets the majority vote in the nation and Trump wins the election because he got the majority of the Electoral College votes. This is not the first time this has happened–let’s look at a previous incident that happened in 1824. Andrew Jackson, in the 1824 election campaign, had reason to believe that he was the winner because he got the majority of the votes and the most electoral votes, but since he didn’t get an outright majority in the Electoral College votes the election was thrown into the House of Representatives as our Constitution stipulated.
 
Wed
28
Dec

So Long, Stephen

By Stephen Waguespack
 
A successful Louisiana era ended this week when Stephen Moret packed up his beautiful family and moved to Virginia. He is soon to become the CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which is the state’s key economic developmental agency. If history is any indicator, he will do great things in that role. Moret held several important positions in Louisiana over the last few decades, including positions as the head of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce (BRAC), Louisiana Economic Development Agency (LED) and the LSU Foundation. In each role, he left a litany of structural reforms and economic successes in his wake, while fostering a legion of appreciative colleagues and stakeholders along the way. He tackled each role with integrity, professionalism, relentless effort and substantive accomplishments.
 
Wed
21
Dec
Wed
14
Dec

Plenty Fodder to Ponder

By Stephen Waguespack

Wed
07
Dec

Along the Way

By Allison Davidson Carpenter 

 

Every December, one of our festive traditions is a day trip to Natchitoches. We usually go on a Saturday in the middle of December, arriving in the early afternoon and enjoying all the festive flair that Front Street has to offer. Even though it’s typically extremely crowded, we meander through the people to shop at places like Dicken’s and Company, Kaffie-Frederick General Merchandise, and Southern Necessities.

 

 

Wed
07
Dec

Castro's Legacy is Clear

By Stephen Waguespack

 

Let’s face it; it seems all we do is disagree these days. Whether the topic is the national elections, the role of government in society, the LSU football coach, taxation, violence in our cities or countless other policy debates; it seems like people just can’t agree on anything. However, now and then a topic comes around which should be a great unifier for us all. This week, I thought one of those topics finally came up. Boy, was I wrong.

 

Wed
30
Nov

"It's the Economy, Stupid"

By Stephen Waguespack

The last couple of years we have heard much opposition to Louisiana officials taking public pledges to outside groups. The most obvious example is the Taxpayer Protection Pledge pushed by the Americans for Tax Reform since 1986, which asks elected officials to oppose tax increases. Many press articles and public debates have focused on criticizing elected officials for taking this public stance against new taxes.
 
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